Ports & Infrastructure

Finding a Future Workforce

West Coast education and training programs that will help you fill the gap

By Wes Starratt, P.E.

As world trade expands, the maritime industry is crying out for more skilled personnel. An estimated 170,000 new jobs are expected to be created by the local transportation industry by 2012, an increase of 10 percent in just a few years.

The San Pedro Bay area, which includes the world-class ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, is the largest concentration of maritime operations on the Pacific Coast, with one in eight local jobs related to overseas procurement, port operations, cargo-handling and nation-wide distribution activities.

According to Al Moro, chief harbor engineer for the Port of Long Beach, “We need to constantly feed the pool of engineers, scientists and technicians, just to maintain our operations.” Yet, there are people living right in the midst of this area that know nothing at all about the ports and their operations, says Carol Rosen of the International Trade and Education Program.

With the maritime industry increasingly concerned about having a sufficient number of trained personnel to fill its vital positions, it is reaching out to local communities as a source of trained staff members.

Port of Long Beach programs

Art Wong, spokesperson for the Port of Long Beach, says that with the thousands of jobs in international trade and goods movement opening up in the next 20 years, their hope is to expose students to the careers available “so they will set their sights on a future right here in Long Beach.” The port is working with both the local schools and colleges to reach out to the next generation of potential maritime employees, to provide them with basic skills and educate them about the maritime industry and the dynamic careers it offers.

One program involves working with teachers at local schools to develop lesson plans for math, economics and trade, using the port as an example. The port has allotted $20,000 for this program, now in its second year at the Long Beach Unified School District.

On the college level, the port is sponsoring scholarships, involving more than $60,000 each year, for local students. The program has broadened from the local colleges of California State at Long Beach and Long Beach City College to the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo and the University of California at Los Angeles.

At Cal State Long Beach, Angeli Logan, director of trade and transportation programs, points out, “We offer two maritime-related programs: One is the ‘Global Logistics Specialist Program,’ for which the port provides $2,500 scholarships; it is offered on-line to students worldwide. The second is the Master’s Degree program in global logistics, for which the port provides $5,000 scholarships.”

Port of Los Angeles programs

On the other side of San Pedro Bay, the Port of Los Angeles (POLA) also has developed its own programs for training qualified professionals for its maritime operations. One of those programs is the unique Port of Los Angeles High School, or POLAHS, which was established by the port and is located in a port-owned building adjacent to port headquarters in San Pedro.

POLAHS is a public, charter high school, under the jurisdiction of its own board of trustees. It is headed by Jim Cross, who points out, “We emphasize college preparation and try to familiarize our students with all of the careers that it takes to run a port and handle world trade.” Taking advantage of its location, the school arranges field trips, guest speakers and internships with the diverse organizations that make up the concentrated maritime community on San Pedro Bay.

Another program closely associated with POLA is the International Trade and Education Program (ITEP), which was established by retired port commissioner Carol Rowen. It is designed to provide the basic tools needed to fill positions in the maritime industry.
The focal point of the program is establishing International Trade Academies at strategically located high schools and working closely with the local teachers to develop educational programs focused on maritime activities and international trade. The first academy was established several years ago at Banning High School in nearby Wilmington. This year, additional academies are slated for high schools in the distribution center of Carson, in the rail-truck hub of Barstow, and in West Oakland, adjacent to the Port of Oakland. Each trade academy is planned for 180 to 200 students.

The Port of Los Angeles and maritime-related businesses participate financially in the ITEP program and also provide summer internship programs for the students. Funding is also provided to send 30 to 40 students from the ITEP program to a summer program at the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo (CMA). And an increasing number of students graduating from the ITEP program are becoming full-time students at CMA.

Other programs

The California Maritime Academy, established in the Bay Area, some 80 years ago, as the only maritime academy on the Pacific Coast, has become a part of the California State University system. As a consequence, it has broadened its curriculum from ship operations to include global maritime studies and business programs for the maritime industry, as well as basic engineering subjects.

“We have a very active program of going out to high schools and career fairs to attract students to the maritime industry,” says Doug Webster, public affairs director. He notes that this summer, CMA had 30 to 40 students visiting from the ITEP program, and that students from that program and other programs sponsored by the maritime industry in San Pedro Bay are coming to CMA to complete their education in maritime affairs.

Other educational institutions, such as the University of Washington with its “Global Trade, Transportation and Logistics Studies,” are also responding to the needs of the maritime industry for qualified professionals.

It is this kind of continued effort between the maritime industry and the educational establishment that will help resolve the shortage of trained staff members. By training increasingly large numbers of qualified professionals, they will help meet the needs of the maritime industry.